Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pavia and Rome

For one person, living is cheaper in Pavia: $1,774 a month against $1,990 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rome outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

85

Cost of Living Index in Pavia
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Pavia Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index

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Pavia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,774

/mo nomad

Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,990

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pavia and in Rome

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pavia and in Rome actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,774 in Pavia versus $1,990 in Rome.

Pavia $1,774
Rome $1,990

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,773 in Pavia versus $3,095 in Rome.

Pavia $2,773
Rome $3,095

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,772 in Pavia versus $4,199 in Rome.

Pavia $3,772
Rome $4,199

Living in Pavia costs roughly 11% less than in Rome, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pavia 31% above, Rome 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.02 €22.25

$16.68 €14.84

50.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.7 €69.2

$67.4 €59.9

15.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.12 €9.00

$11.31 €10.06

-10.52%

Cappuccino

$1.75 €1.56

$2.09 €1.86

-16.27%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 €3.12

$2.89 €2.57

21.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.46 €1.30

6.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.93

$5.63 €5.01

-1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 €5.13

$6.93 €6.16

-16.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.66 €1.48

-12.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.28 €2.03

4.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.97 €2.64

$3.03 €2.70

-1.98%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.94

$4.53 €4.03

-26.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.13 €15.24

$14.76 €13.13

16.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.13 €9.90

$12.31 €10.95

-9.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.16 €21.49

$19.50 €17.35

23.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.64 €2.35

-6.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.29 €2.04

-18.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 €2.53

$2.28 €2.03

24.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$2.41 €2.14

35.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.36 €1.21

48.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.97 €2.64

$1.55 €1.38

91.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.37 €1.22

10.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$0.55 €0.49

-3.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 €6.01

$7.16 €6.37

-5.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.49 €4.88

$5.45 €4.85

0.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.60 €1.43

17.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.03

$2.53 €2.25

-9.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.70 €1.51

2.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.1 €52.6

$38.95 €34.64

51.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.89

$6.67 €5.93

-34.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.71 €1.53

-29.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.65 €30.82

$33.59 €29.87

3.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.11 €1.88

-5.69%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.0K €32.0K

$35.5K €31.6K

1.20%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$35.7K €31.8K

$37.0K €32.9K

-3.38%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$221 €197

$203 €180

9.13%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$10.30 €9.16

$11.33 €10.08

-9.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.77 €26.48

$31.57 €28.08

-5.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 €45.44

$65.6 €58.4

-22.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.26 €25.13

$23.49 €20.89

20.31%

Cinema Ticket

$12.92 €11.50

$11.43 €10.16

13.04%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$572 €508

$497 €442

15.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €9,001

$16.6K €14.8K

-39.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$72.5 €64.5

57.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.92 €35.51

$35.94 €31.97

11.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.6 €77.0

$85.1 €75.7

1.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 €126

$121 €108

16.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 €701

$1,191 €1,059

-33.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$532 €473

$876 €780

-39.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,161 €1,032

$2,506 €2,229

-53.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 €827

$1,683 €1,497

-44.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,366 €2,994

$8,438 €7,505

-60.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,069 €1,840

$3,157 €2,809

-34.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,135 €1,899

$1,962 €1,746

8.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.92

3.52

-17.05%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Pavia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Rome: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Pavia

$532 30%

Rome

$876 44% 64.7% $344

Groceries & Markets

Pavia

$344 19.4%

Rome

$325 16.3% 5.4% $18

Eating Out

Pavia

$311 17.5%

Rome

$252 12.7% 19% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pavia

$261 14.7%

Rome

$246 12.4% 6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Pavia

$172 9.7%

Rome

$142 7.1% 17.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Pavia

$77 4.3%

Rome

$88 4.5% 15% $12

Getting Around

Pavia

$77 4.3%

Rome

$61 3.1% 20.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Pavia and $1,191 in Rome. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pavia pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $78.0 in Pavia vs $67.0 in Rome for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $325 per month, with Rome cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Pavia

🇮🇹 Rome

🕒 Local time

10:57 10:57 AM

Same time as Pavia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,214

2,848,084 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Pavia vs Rome: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pavia is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and utilities. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Pavia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Pavia versus $1,191 in Rome. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $572 in Pavia versus $497 in Rome. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Rome pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,774 in Pavia versus $1,990 in Rome, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Pavia but tight or insufficient in Rome. The gap between the two cities makes Pavia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Pavia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rome, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Pavia and Rome are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Pavia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Rome. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.